New Public Pick-Up Area opens at Brisbane Domestic

17 September 2012

The final piece in the $350-million upgrade at Brisbane Airport’s Domestic Terminal will be unveiled tomorrow with the opening of a new Public Pick-Up Area offering drivers 20 minutes free parking* while they wait to collect passengers.

As an added bonus, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) is also allowing drivers 15 minutes FREE parking* in any of its car parks from 18 September until 30 November 2012.

Acting BAC CEO Tim Rothwell said the additional 15 minute free parking offer was a small thank you to the people of Brisbane for their patience throughout the Domestic Terminal upgrade project.

“There’s been a lot of change and we appreciate it’s going to take some time for everyone to get use to the new arrangement, so offering 15 minutes free parking in any of our car parks in addition to 20 minutes free parking in the new Public Pick-Up Area is our way of saying thank you as well as ensuring people have time to adjust to the new pick-up system,” Mr Rothwell said.

With more than 16-million people a year travelling through the Domestic Terminal, a figure which is expected to grow to 33-million by 2028, Mr Rothwell said a solution was needed to manage current and future demand.

“Passenger numbers are growing on average 4.5 percent each year with Brisbane Airport’s Domestic Terminal now handling a similar number of travellers as a Heathrow terminal and ranks as the 69th busiest airport in the world,” he said.

64 per cent of the estimated 45,000 people (on average) who access the Domestic Terminal each day use taxi, train or bus services, or park in the long and short-term car parks.

Of those who use private vehicles to access the departure road in front of the terminal, 70 per cent do so for drop-off.

“The ‘drop-off’ process is usually the most time critical and stressful aspect for the majority of travellers, but it is also a relatively quick process that can be easily accommodated kerbside on the terminal road.

Pick-up however is generally more time consuming, taking 10 minutes or more for each vehicle.

“The traffic flow research we’ve conducted indicates that for every kerbside space used for pick-up, four vehicles cannot drop off at peak times.

When you add to this several hundred cars continuously circling through the drop-off road waiting to collect arriving passengers you can appreciate why there’s an issue with congestion at our busiest times, as there is with all major airports around the world,” Mr Rothwell said.

“In order to manage growth and provide a world class airport befitting a world-class city like Brisbane, we needed to change the way we’ve been doing things for the last 20 years and build for the future by separating the drop-off and pick-up areas to improve passenger access,” Mr Rothwell added.

Following the recent opening of AirportLink (M7) Brisbane Airport is now the best connect airport in Australia and a truly intermodal hub offering travellers a range of transport options to suit their varying needs, including bus, train, limousine, taxi and pre-booked transport options, as well as private vehicle parking and drop-off/pick-up, off airport parking, car rental options, car washing services, Premium, Valet and Guaranteed parking space, short-term parking and long-term parking, over-height vehicle parking, inter-Terminal bus and Translink bus services.

Domestic Terminal Public Pick-Up Area Fast Facts

The new Public Pick-Up Area allows drivers 20 minutes FREE parking* while waiting to collect arriving passengers.

If drivers stay for longer than 20 minutes published short-term parking charges apply from time of entry.

The purpose of this area is for drivers to wait with their cars and have their passengers meet them there.

If you wish to spend time in the terminal meeting, greeting and assisting passengers, the best option is to park in the new multi-level car park (P1) closest to the terminal.

The new Public Pick-Up Area is within walking distance (358m) of the central face of the Domestic Terminal.

There are 221 parking spaces (including seven disabled parking bays) in the new Public Pick-Up Area.

Depending on how quickly you walk, it takes between 7-15 minutes to walk from the terminal to the Public Pick-Up Area.

The Public Pick-Up Area is approximately 100m closer to the terminal than the temporary short-term car parks used during construction of the new multi-level car park.

The walkway to the Public Pick-Up Area is fully under cover the entire way with rest points available every 60 metres and is clearly marked with a directional red line on the floor for passengers to follow.

Until 30 November 2012, parking* in any of Brisbane Airport’s undercover car parks for 15 minutes or less is free.